Emma Ruth (left) and Maria Ryan outside St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, with some of the equipment they are using to check the alertness of junior doctors at various stages of the doctors' 24-hour shifts. The results of the project will be their entry for the Young Scientist of the Year competition. Photograph: Pat Langan
Two transition-year students in Kilkenny are paying daily visits to a local hospital to examine junior doctors working long shifts. Maria Ryan and Emma Ruth, 15-year-old students at the Loreto secondary school, came up with the idea of measuring the alertness of junior doctors as a science project.
Twenty doctors at St Luke's Hospital readily agreed to participate. They are tested when their shifts begin at 9 a.m., again at 5 p.m. and finally when their working day finishes at 9 o'clock the following morning.
The idea was one of many creative projects in schools in the city which are being part-funded by Kilkenny Information Age Ltd (KIAL), the organisation set up to manage a £1 million prize awarded to Kilkenny as a runner-up in the Telecom Eireann Information Age Town competition two years ago.
In total, KIAL is contributing £300,000 to the initiative, entitled Kilkenny Schools IT 2000, and all the city's 23 primary and post-primary schools are participating. Matching funding is being provided by the schools. The scheme was inaugurated last week by the Minister for Education, Mr Martin.
Other projects include French lessons using video-conferencing links between the local CBS and its twinned school in Moret-surLoing, a multimedia project on the history of Kilkenny at St Kieran's College, virtual visits to art galleries and e-mail communications with past pupils on life after school at the Presentation Convent, and a primary schools' archive project.
With renewed controversy over the hours worked by junior doctors, however, the most topical project is being carried out by Maria and Emma, who plan to reveal their results at next year's Young Scientist Exhibition.
Their initial idea was to use sophisticated data-logging equipment to monitor the heart rate and test the reactions of the senior house officers and registrars at St Luke's who agreed to co-operate. The equipment did not become available in time, however, so they used the Internet and other sources to find existing tests which could be adapted to their needs.
One of the tests involves showing the doctors a series of colours and corresponding words. Initially "red" is spelled out on a red background, "green" on a green background and so on. The test then changes so that the words and colours no longer correspond, and the speed with which the participants identify the actual colours is monitored.
It may sound easy, but try it after you've completed a 24-hour shift.
Another test involves using buzzers. It grew out of a previous Young Scientist project at the Loreto school in which the students, having observed the RTE schools quiz programme Blackboard Jungle, established that boys were quicker than girls to buzz in response to questions.
The girls have been surprised by the enthusiasm shown for their project by the subjects of their tests. "The doctors are very busy, but they're really interested in the project, and a few of them have asked us for the results," said Maria.
They'll have to wait a few more weeks. The testing phase is due to end this week, and the girls will then use computer technology to process the information they've collected.
Initial findings suggest the doctors are most alert at 5 p.m. and, not surprisingly, least so at the end of their shifts.
